Thank you, Light!

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Rachael

Some of you may know that I am joint owner of a photography training business, f11 Workshops. Yesterday we ran one of our most popular tours, Piers and Wreck, on the West Sussex coast. We have been so lucky with the light on every iteration of this tour so far and yesterday was no exception. Of course, landscape photographers keep going no matter what the weather, but it is nice when things get this good.

My business partner, Tony Antoniou, and I are clear that we will not make our own images when out with clients; we just grab a few publicity snaps at the last location. We both know that photography is such an absorbing occupation that we would not be giving our customers our full attention if we were making our own images. Sometimes, when the light is this good, that’s a hard promise to keep! In the end though, having happy customers is the better reward.

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My 365/52 is from 2010, a close up of one of the butterflies in the glasshouse at RHS Wisley.

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365/53 is from last year. Just a snap really, on what appears to be a date when I take few photos: Walton viewed from the bridge to Desborough Island.

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Lighthouse starscape

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Rachael

While we were in Norfolk this week, we photographed the night sky over Happisburgh Lighthouse.

My 365/51 is from this day last year, a long exposure of Walton Bridge, still with its feet in water thanks to the flooded Thames.

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Marine abstracts

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Rachael

Taken this day last year, some abstracts from the hulls of boats. It was our last day in France, and we had some time to explore a nearby boat yard.

Carrelets in detail

Posted on February 17, 2015 by Rachael

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Taken on this day last year, these images are studies of the little stilt fishing huts, or ‘carrelets’, that abound in this area of France. For more images from this trip, click on the tag ‘Gironde’.

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Blue door

Posted on February 16, 2015 by Rachael

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This shot, from this day last year, is from the French village of Talmonde sur Gironde. Liked the blue door against the pinkish walls. The blossom was a bonus.

Inspiration day

Posted on February 14, 2015 by Rachael

I’ve had a super day at the Telegraph Outdoor and Adventure Travel show. I could have spent the whole time just listening to the inspirational talks in the Outdoor Photography theatre. This image is David Baker telling us about his atmospheric seascapes. If you don’t know David’s work, I recommend his book, Sea Fever. The show is on again tomorrow, if you fancy a visit.

Afterwards, I found time to take a look at the Landscape Photographer of the Year exhibition at Waterloo. Beautiful.

Meanwhile, my 365 redux project continues. Taken on this day in 2010, this image was captured on a wintery morning at Cissbury Ring, an ancient hill fort near Worthing in West Sussex.

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I am getting ahead of myself a little here as I will be busy tomorrow, so here’s my 365/46 too. This image was taken on 15th February last year, on the first evening of a brief but wonderful trip to the Gironde Estuary. I have attempted a more experimental edit for my 365 project. The jury’s still out on this one, but it’s good to try new things.

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Lonely sea

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Rachael

Outdoor Photography is my favourite photography magazine. In December, I plucked up the courage to send them a selection of my black and white images. I was surprised and delighted when they contacted me to say one of my images (above) had been accepted. It has just been published, with the following blurb:

“This was taken at Fistral Beach in Newquay. While my family surfed, I had a very happy couple of hours pottering about the shore with tripod and filters. This is a blend of two exposures, two minutes to smooth out the water and create space, and a faster one for the yacht. I wanted to capture a sense of the tiny yacht being dwarfed by Nature.”

My first 365/42 is from 11th February 2010. I had gone to the RHS gardens at Wisley to photograph the butterflies in the glasshouse but it was this cheeky little robin, encountered as I walked towards the glasshouse, who ended up capturing my fancy.

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Strangely enough, I discovered that on 11th February 2013, I was at Wisley photographing the butterflies again! Here’s one from that day, actually of a butterfly this time.

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My 365/43 is from 12th February 2009. Although last year’s floods were extreme, there is often winter flooding on the Thames. In 2009, it was strong enough to beak this boat from its moorings and cast it up onto the banks of Desborough Island.

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Finally, it’s back to the 2014 floods for my 365/44: Walton Bridge with its feet in water.

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Inundation

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Rachael

This time last year, my local area was affected by unusually heavy flooding. The Thames burst its banks on a scale we hadn’t seen since 1947. I captured as much of it as I could, fascinated by the changed landscape. My 365/40 and 41 are images not previously shared here, of Walton Quay (41) and the Thames towpath between Molesey and Hampton Court (40).

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I had to include one more picture, even though it has appeared on Focused Moments before. This last image, snapped as the flood water came rushing in, was the closest I have come to having an image go ‘viral’ on social media. It was shared 450 times on Facebook alone with views well into 5 figures. The view seems innocuous enough but to people who know the area, it was a unique sight.

Surf’s up

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Rachael

f/11, .5″, ISO 100, 200mm

On Friday, Jenifer and I found time to head down to the coast. Despite the bitter cold, we had loads of fun capturing the surf at Climping Beach. A longer post from this shoot is in the pipeline, all about shutter speeds and waves.

Time to catch up with my 365 redux. 365/37 and 39 are from 2009. Neither awfully good, but it seems I don’t take many pictures on 6th and 8th February in any year except for the year of my original project 365. In keeping with my ‘rules’, I have attempted a better edit at least. 365/38 is from 2014. I enjoy flipping reflections and cropping out the ‘original’.

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Snow, reflections and the English winter

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Rachael

f/7.1, 1/40, 35mm, ISO 400

Another shot from yesterday’s foray into the snowy landscape. The snow is gone now; it doesn’t last long here. Back to grey and wet today, but it was fun while it lasted. Looking back to this day last year for my 365 redux project, I found images of golden light and blue skies. This little island is known for its variable climate; discussing the weather is practically a national sport. Last year we had one of the wettest winters since records began and nary a single flake of snow.

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